Findings from survey of special collections and archives in the UK and Ireland summarized in new video

Findings from survey of special collections and archives in the UK and Ireland summarized in new video

19 August 2013

Special collections and archives play a key role in the future of research libraries. Significant challenges face institutions that wish to capitalize on that value, however, if they are to fully leverage and make available the rich content in special collections in order to support research, teaching, and community engagement. To help address these concerns, OCLC Research and RLUK collaborated to survey the special collections practices of RLUK members and OCLC Research Library Partnership institutions in the United Kingdom and Ireland. OCLC Research Program Officers Jackie Dooley and Merrilee Proffitt provide an overview of the survey in this video.

Complete findings from the survey and the resulting recommendations are published in the report,Survey of Special Collections and Archives in the United Kingdom and Ireland that is freely available from the OCLC Research website. The evidence-based assessment of the state of special collections in the UK and Ireland detailed in the report provides institutional leaders, curators, special collections staff, and archivists both evidence and inspiration to plan for much needed and deserved transformation of special collections. It also provides a backdrop for continued discussion, both within special collections and the larger library enterprise, for the role of special collections in an evolved information economy. In addition, it provides both evidence and a basis for action as part of the RLUK's Unique and Distinctive Collections workstrand and OCLC Research's Mobilizing Unique Materials theme.

We are a worldwide library cooperative, owned, governed and sustained by members since 1967. Our public purpose is a statement of commitment to each other—that we will work together to improve access to the information held in libraries around the globe, and find ways to reduce costs for libraries through collaboration.